Persona Zodiac
by DexheartDusk
Summary: When shadows start appearing during the day and outside the TV world, it's up to high schooler Koro to save the people in her city from themselves. But how did she get her power? Just what is she hiding?
1. Chapter 1, Leo

"Himezawa-senpai!"

Sentaro looked up from the book he'd been reading and groaned when he saw Koro waving from the library doors. "This is the library." He said when she got closer. "You have to be quiet."

"Sorry." She laughed. "I was just thinking I wanted to talk to you, so when I saw you sitting here, I just called out without thinking."

_When do you ever think?_ Sentaro sighed inwardly. "What did you want?"

Koro blinked, then scrunched up her face. "I forget."

_Shocker._ Sentaro thought sarcastically.

"Hey, can we walk home together after school?"

Sentaro coughed in surprize. "What? Why?"

Koro shrugged. "I just wanna."

_How can she get away with talking so casually to an upperclassman?!_ He thought furiously. _What year is she in, anyway?! Is she even in high school?_ "Did you steal a uniform?"

"Yup." Koro smiled proudly. "I didn't want to wear a skirt, so I stole a uniform from the nurse's office." She held up her hands, showing off the too-long sleeves of the stolen uniform.

_Why does she insist on bugging me?_ Sentaro pointedly turned back to his book. "I'm a little busy right now, Koro."

"Will you meet me after school?"

"Sure, whatever." _Anything to make you leave._

* * *

Koro was waiting for him by the school gates. For a moment, Sentaro thought about waiting inside until she left. But Koro would probably wait until after dark. Better to get it over with.

"Himezawa-senpai!" Koro called when she saw him. "You actually came!"

"What did you want?" He tried to sound friendly, but she really annoyed him.

They started walking and she didn't respond until they were away from any other students. "I want to know why you pretend to be someone you aren't."

Sentaro was caught off-guard. "What makes you say that?"

She grabbed his sleeve, forcing him to stop walking. "You act like you don't care, but I know you do. Grades aren't everything, you know."

_What is she talking about?_ "Look, Koro, please stop acting like we're friends. I need to study for exams, and you just get in the way." He pulled his arm from her grasp and continued walking.

She was silent for a while and Sentaro thought she'd left, but she made her presence known again when she pushed him into a park.

"What are you-"

He was cut off by something crashing into the ground where he'd been standing just a second before.

"Get up!" Koro pulled on his arm until he was back on his feet. "Run!" She commanded.

"What just happened?!" He asked while they ran through the park.

"This is why I asked why you were pretending." She huffed. "I was trying to avoid this."

"What exactly is _this_?!" He looked over his shoulder and dug his heels into the ground.

A boy his age stood at the park entrance. His black hair was cut to regulation and his glasses were plain and practical.

"What am I doing over there?!"

Koro winced. "Would you believe I pulled your spirit from your body?" When he didn't respond, she sighed. "Alright, guess I should explain. That's your shadow."

"What?!"

"He's your supressed desires." Koro pulled Sentaro back so that she was between him and the… other him. "He's the _you_ you don't want to admit exists."

"That doesn't make any sense!"

The other Sentaro took off his glasses and crushed them between his fingers. "It's just for show, you know. I don't need them."

"Interesting." Koro reached back and took Sentaro's glasses. "You can still see?"

"Yes." He admitted. "I have perfect vision. Glasses just fit my image."

"Ignore your image." She instructed as the other Sentaro approached. "Who are you, really?"

"Everyone looks up to me because I'm smart." The other Sentato explained. "That's all I am to them: a genius. That's not who I am."

"What's he talking about?"

"He's answering my question."

"I just want friends. I want a normal school life. Not all these advanced classes!" The other Sentaro reached out his hand. "Just one friend."

"Get down!" Koro tackled Sentaro to the ground just before a blast of energy scorched the air above them. "Gemini!"

Sentaro opened his eyes to see an Amazon woman with monkey ears and two monkey tails floating above them. "What is that?!"

"My Persona." Koro explained. "She'll help protect us." She turned to him. "Now, tell me who you really are."

"I'm Sentaro Himezawa." He shook his head. "Um, my parents run a hospital and expect me to become a doctor. I'm number one in our school."

"Who are _you_?!" Koro screamed as another energy shot hit the Amazon.

"I'm lonely!" Sentaro confessed. Tears streaked down his face. "I don't have any friends! I'm popular because of my grades! No one wants to know the real me!"

The shots stopped and the other Sentaro smiled. "Just one friend." He repeated.

"I just want someone to see the real me!"

The other Sentaro started emitting a pale light. Koro pulled Sentaro to his feet and nudged him toward the other boy, slipping his glasses into his hand. "Go face yourself."

Sentaro approached his shadow. "I'm hiding behind my image. I'm hiding myself." He dropped his glasses and slammed his foot down on them. "If I want a friend, I can't keep hiding."

The light grew and engulfed the shadow. It morphed into a man with the mane and tail of a lion. "You've taken the first step." It said before merging with Sentaro.

"Good job!" Koro was back to acting happy-go-lucky.

Sentaro gave her a sharp look. "What was that all about?"

The Amazon woman stepped up beside Koro and placed a hand on her head before disappearing. "Most people in this world hide their true selves." She explained. "I've made it my mission to make sure they don't forget who they really are." Her eyes grew dark. "If I can't, their shadows attack. If I hadn't been here, you could have been killed. That's their goal, to kill the 'imposters'."

"They think we're imposters?" Sentaro barked a laugh of surprise. "They take our appearances and call us imposters?"

"He didn't take your appearance." Koro corrected him. "He was you. And they think of us as imposters because we aren't being ourselves. We're pretending to be other people."

"I get it." Sentaro nodded. "That actually makes sense." He looked back at her. "What did he turn into at the end?"

"Your Persona." Koro smiled. "That's the only good thing about facing shadows. If you survive, you get a Persona and can help other people. Gemini and I want to help as many people as possible survive the truth."

"Leo." The name popped into Sentaro's head. "They're both named after Zodiac signs."

"Cool." Koro laughed. "I just thought Gemini was named that because of my shadow." She extended her hand. "Well, let's be friends, okay? We both have this power, so we should work together. Alright, Sentaro?"

He smiled and shook her hand. "What happened to 'senpai'?"

"That was when you were just a guy who was smarter than me." She giggled. "We are in the same year, after all."

"What?!" Sentaro looked her up and down. "Are you serious?!"

"I'm a third year, class D." Koro started laughing uncontrollably. "Did you think I was a second year, or something?"

"I didn't believe you were even in high school." He confessed. He looked down at his watch and grimaced. "I should get home. I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Koro."

* * *

**For all the geniuses out there, don't let that define you. Be who you are.**


	2. Chapter 2, Pisces

"Koro, you have a visitor." The girl at the door called into the class.

Koyuki looked over and was surprised to see class 3-A's Sentaro Himezawa standing in the hall. _What could he want with Koro?_ He watched as the girl in question got up from her seat in front of his to walk over to the door.

"That's new." A boy laughed. "Usually, Koro's the one visiting students."

"Do you think Sentaro has a crush on her?"

"No way! Sentaro doesn't get crushes. But it is weird."

_Sure is._ Koyuki smirked. _This could get interesting._

* * *

"Hey, Koro." Koyuki leaned forward and tapped her shoulder. "You busy right now?"

Koro turned to face him and smiled. "What a coincidence. I was about to ask you the same question."

"Cool." He lowered his eyelids to give her a smoldering look. "I've been wanting to ask you this for a while." He reached out and took her hand. "Ever since we changed seats and you were put in front of me, I haven't been able to concentrate on my work. I think I've fallen for you."

She scowled. "Like how you fell for Miki when she started coaching the boy's swim team? Or Saira when she bought you a coffee that one time?"

_Crap!_ "Those were simple crushes. But you've been in my head for months. No matter what I do, I can't stop thinking about you."

"Well, try to." She turned around, pulling her hand free. "You're just a playboy. Try being sincere to a girl before confessing your 'love'."

Koyuki heard laughter from the hall and turned to see Sentaro standing in the doorway.

"That was pretty harsh, Koro." He walked over and sat on the desk beside hers.

"Was not. He is a playboy. He has a new girl every two weeks." Koro stuffed books into her bag without looking at their titles. "I'm not going to be another statistic!"

"Calm down." Sentaro put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't get distracted."

_Since when are they so friendly?!_ Koyuki bristled with anger. He stood quickly. "Fine. I'll get out of your hair and let you two talk."

"Wait." Sentaro reached out and grabbed his wrist.

"Don't touch me!" He shook the other boy's hand off. "I can see you have something serious going on. Sorry for making a move."

Koro burst into laughter. "No way! Sen and I are just friends!" She got her giggles under control and stood up. "I still want to talk to you about something. It's actually about you being a playboy."

"Really? How is that any of your business?"

"Maybe we should talk outside." Sentaro suggested. "After what happened last time…"

Koro nodded. "Good idea. It would be bad if something happened to the school."

"What are you people talking about?"

"Come with me." Koro grabbed Koyuki's hand and started pulling him through the halls. She didn't stop until they were in front of the school. "This should be better."

"For what?" Koyuki demanded. "First you yell at me for flirting, then seem excited that I am. What is wrong with you?!"

"She's not excited." Sentaro said from behind them. "She's worried."

"Worried?" Koyuki chuckled. "Thanks, but there's no need. I don't double up. Only one girl at a time."

"It's not a girl I'm worried about." Koro still didn't release his arm. "It's a boy."

Koyuki sneered. "Right, okay, you do know I don't swing that way."

"Just ask him, Koro." Sentaro huffed. "His attitude is annoying me."

"Fujii-kun." Koro caught his attention with his family name. "Why are you pretending to be someone you aren't?"

That caught him off-guard. "I'm not. I _am_ Koyuki Fujii."

"I _am_ Koyuki Fujii." A voice echoed from the school gates.

Sentaro sighed. "We're too late."

Koro released Koyuki's hand and took a fighting stance. "It's not over yet. Gemini!"

"Leo!"

Light flashed from the two seniors and two jungle people appeared beside them; the girl had features of a monkey; the boy, a lion.

Sentaro stepped forward. "Koro, I'll hold him off. You talk it out with Fujii."

"What's going on?" Koyuki looked around, his eyes stopping on a figure standing just inside the gates. "Why am I over there?"

"That's your shadow." Koro focused on Koyuki, but also kept the figure in her sights. "He's the you that you're supressing. I need to know who you are. And not just your name, I already know that. What are you really like?"

"My friends know who I am." Koyuki forced a laugh. "Everyone knows what I'm like."

Koro screeched in frustration. "That's the face you show people! Like how Sentaro just showed a smart guy. But he's more than just that. What aren't you showing people?!"

"Will you stay?" Koyuki's shadow whispered. "Will you never leave?"

Vines shot out of the ground and wrapped themselves around the lion man. Sentaro screamed in pain as the vines tightened.

"What's happening?" Koyuki gasped.

"Leo is his Persona, a part of him. Any pain inflicted on a Persona is felt by their holder." Koro glanced up at the monkey woman. "Gemini, can you help him?"

The woman nodded curtly before swiping at the vines. They fell away and Leo fell into her arms.

"Thanks." Sentaro breathed.

"Koyuki, listen to me." Koro grabbed the boy's attention. "You've been hiding something from yourself. That's why your shadow's appeared. It's trying to kill you. To take your place."

"How do you know all this?"

Koro averted her gaze. "Because I've faced my shadow. Gemini almost didn't exist."

A shiver ran down Koyuki's spine as her words sunk in. He turned towards his shadow. "I don't want to be alone. I want someone to always be by my side." The shadow stopped attacking Leo and gave Koyuki his full attention. "My parents are too busy to pay attention to me, so I surround myself with friends. But I still feel alone. I need someone who won't leave."

"Don't leave me alone." The shadow whispered.

"I won't." Koyuki walked forward and extended his hand. "I won't leave myself behind. If I change to make friends, how do I know for sure they won't leave?"

The shadow took his hand as light started emanating from his skin. "I'm not alone."

Koyuki looked back at Sentaro and Koro. "No, I'm not alone." He turned back to his shadow in time to see it transform into a man wearing all green and gloves with claws on the fingers. A spiked tail protruded from his waist. The being faded and merged with Koyuki.

"Good job." Koro breathed. "You've faced yourself."

"And now you have a Persona." Sentaro added.

Koyuki shook his head. "You people are crazy." He laughed. "But I guess that makes me crazy, too."

* * *

**Be strong! There's always someone. You're never truely alone.**

**I'm going to apologize here for any later inconsistencies. I don't really know how a playboy's supposed to act, and Koyuki's character mgiht change from chapter to chapter. Please bear with me on this.**


	3. Chapter 3, Virgo

When the lunch bell rang, Karin immediately turned around in her seat. "Himezawa, want to eat lunch with me?" she asked before she could chicken out.

Sentaro looked up from his bag and smiled. "Sorry, I can't. I'm meeting some friends to go over some things." He closed his bag and stood. "Maybe some other time." He added as he left the classroom.

Karin fought the urge to cry in frustration. It had taken her nearly a month to work up the courage to ask him, and he was busy with friends. She hadn't known he even had friends.

_Who could he be meeting?_ Karin wondered. She stood and raced out the door. She followed Sentaro down the hall until he stopped in front of another room.

"Koro, he's here." A boy stepped out and called back. After a moment, a girl joined them.

Everyone in school knew that girl. Koro was all but famous for being laid back but still being in the top ten for academics.

Karin gritted her teeth with rage. _He's meeting _Koro_?! Why?! Since when are they friends?!_

After the final bell, the classroom cleared quickly. Karin didn't move. She'd hardly listened at all to the afternoon lessons. The shock from lunch had yet to fade.

"Seto?" Someone put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Karin turned and saw Sentaro looking down at her with a worried expression.

"I'm fine." She lied. "Just thinking."

"If you're sure-"

The door flew open and Koro stepped in. "Sen! Good she's still here."

Rage flooded Karin's mind. _She even has a nickname for him! How dare she?!_

"Koro, what's going on?" Sentaro took a step toward her.

"Don't leave her." She instructed. "Koyuki's on his way."

A second later, the boy from earlier appeared behind Koro. "How do you always know who it's going to be?" he asked.

"Gemini tells me. Every Persona has its own ability." Koro motioned for Sentaro to join them. "Bring her, too."

"What makes you think I'd go anywhere with _you_?!" Karin stood up, but made no other move. "You're so annoying!"

"Yeah, sure." Koro accepted the comment. "Come on! We need to get out of here."

"Why?" Karin asked at the same time the window behind her shattered. She turned and ducked before a large stone flew past her. "What was that?"

"Great." Koro huffed. "I was doing so well not destroying the school."

"Let's get out of here before it brings down the whole building." The other boy motioned for everyone to follow him.

Sentaro grabbed Karin's arm and tugged. "We need to go." When she didn't move, he sighed. "Seto, it's dangerous. Especially for you."

"What?!"

"I'll explain if you come with us." He offered.

Karin gave in and followed the group down the hall and out the front doors. There, she stopped in her tracks. The figure standing in the middle of the yard was tying a red ribbon into her brown hair, but stopped when they ran out.

"What's going on here?!" Karin grabbed Sentaro's arm. "Why are there two of me?!"

The other girl smiled. "I love you." She mock-whispered.

Koro groaned. "This is why I hate girl shadows." She complained. "It's always mushy stuff." She turned to Karin. "Okay, who is it? Who do you love, but won't admit it to anyone?"

"No one." Karin stated simply. "I don't have feelings for anyone." Her grip tightened on Sentaro's sleeve. "Why? What does that have to do with anything?"

"I love you." The girl's words whipped through the air and slammed into Karin's arm, forcing her to release her classmate. "I love you."

"She has wind powers." Koro explained. "Sen, Leo has lightning power. That energy can create a barrier."

"Right." Sentaro raised his hand. "Leo, help us!"

Karin watched in disbelief as a man with a lion's main and tail appeared above Sentaro. The lion-man stretched out his arms and lightning shot into the ground, forming a wall between the group and Karin's double.

"I don't believe we've met." The other boy realized. "I'm Koyuki Fujii. Nice to meet you."

"Karin Seto." She managed. "How can you be so calm! That… THING uses the air to attack!"

Koyuki shrugged. "I've been through this before. Only, it was vines, not wind."

"Energy blasts for me." Sentaro chuckled. "Koro, what was it for you?"

The girl scowled. "Karin, that is your shadow." She explained. "It's a part of you. It has the same thoughts as you. How do you feel?" She stepped closer, her shoulder grazing Sentaro's arm.

"Stay away!" the double shouted.

A strong blast penetrated the wall of energy and knocked Koro off her feet.

Koyuki laughed. "Guess that answers that. She hates Koro."

Karin blushed. "I don't hate her. I just…" Her head shot up, realization dawning on her face. "I'm jealous." She breathed. "I'm jealous of Koro."

"Why?" Koro sat up and stared at her. "You need to think, Karin. Why are you jealous?"

"Why does it matter?"

"I love you."

"Because it could save your life!" Koro shouted as another blast hit the wall. "Your shadow is trying to kill you! You aren't being yourself, so it wants to take your place!"

Karin gulped. Koro's seriousness left her speechless. Koro was always carefree at school. _What happened to make her this way?_

"Karin, please think." Sentaro's voice was strained. Another blast hit the lion-man and Sentaro gasped. "Koro, I don't know how much longer I can keep this up."

"Koyuki, have Pisces restrain her." Koro looked up at the boy. "But not too tightly. Just enough to slow down her attacks."

He nodded and summoned a man with a tail and claws like a dragon. Vines sprang from the ground around the double and grabbed her arms.

_Why am I jealous?_ Karin looked at Koro, then at Sentaro. _Is it because…_

"Let go!" The double screamed and the vines disintegrated.

"This isn't working." Koyuki gasped. "Man, that hurt."

"Personas are an extension of ourselves." Koro told Karin. "Every time they are attacked, we feel it."

Karin looked up at Sentaro. _Every time she attacks the barrier, he gets hurt._ She realized. Her heart ached at the thought.

"I get it." She stood and walked out of the barrier. "I understand now." She approached her double as it watched her. "I'm jealous because I like him."

"I love him." The girl whispered.

_I'm always thinking of him. I want to spend time with him. I love him._ "I guess I was hiding in case he didn't feel the same. But these are my feelings. They exist."

Karin pulled her double into a hug. "My feelings are real." Light poured from the girl's skin. "You are real."

The girl pulled away before being engulfed in the light and morphing into a woman wearing a long white dress. Rabbit ears protruded from her blond hair.

"Virgo." Karin whispered as the woman merged with her body.

"Another zodiac." Sentaro said behind her. "You're Virgo, I'm Leo, Koyuki's Pisces, and Koro's Gemini."

"Guess that means there's eight more." Koyuki sighed. "We have to risk our lives helping eight more people."

"But that's eight more friends." Koro draped her arm over the boy's shoulder. "Smile, Playboy."

Karin laughed and looked up at Sentaro. _He doesn't know._ She sighed inwardly. _But at least I do. That's what matters. I'll tell him someday._

* * *

**Be honest with yourself. You love who you love.**


End file.
